


Coffee and Flowers

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: M/M, leo doesn't do well with coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-10 22:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3306425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Valentines Day once again, though nether Elliot or Leo seem to mind. As this day just starts out with rain and a very tired noirette, once he gets a taste of something that's supposed to wake him up more, things take a rather odd turn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffee and Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> (originally written in 2013)

The young noirette let out a deep yawn as he walked into the room where Elliot was waiting. 

As he entered, he could see the rain outside the glass window, beating down on the pane. It wasn't a bad rainstorm, but it was still making him feel sleepy, even though he had only just woken up. That wasn't really something the servant understood-* rainstorms made him tired.

Today so happened to be Valentines day too. Though Leo didn’t bother doing anything special. He intended to just spend the day with his master. Besides, he couldn’t wait to see the gift Elliot had in mind, most likely being cheesy.

"Okay, okay." Leo said quietly, still feeling half-asleep. "What would you like for breakfast, Elliot?"

The Nightray- who was sitting on the sofa- turned his gaze up towards Leo. "Hmm. I don't know. Maybe some pancakes."

“That sounds like a good choice. I will make sure those are prepared right away.”

Elliot eyed him cautiously. Something seemed a bit unusual about Leo today. Sure, he acted like normal, but it was almost like he had some lingering sleep in him. Oh. Maybe the rain outside was causing this. He did get somewhat tired during rainstorms (though Elliot did not understand why). It was a very odd thing about Leo that seemed to be somewhat amusing; due to the fact he’d nap in random places.

With the way he was now, if Leo tried to cook pancakes by himself in this state he’d end up burning down the kitchen!

Bearing that thought in mind, Elliot got up and walked over to Leo, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You look beat. Maybe you shouldn’t try and cook breakfast.” He urged.

“Nonsense, I can manage. I’ll be perfectly fine.” The noirette retorted.

“No way.” He put both hands on Leo’s shoulders and attempted to guide him over to a chair. “You need to sit down before you pass out.”

Well, what use was there in fighting this? With his master persisting, obviously not going to stop until he gave in, there was nothing left for him to do . With a sigh, Leo allowed himself to let Elliot place him in the chair. It was a bit irritating, but there was nothing else he could do, and Elliot did have a point. What trouble it would be if he fell asleep right then and there

When he sat down, the chair felt so comfortable that Leo could fall asleep here while reading a book.

“But what about breakfast?” He asked.

Elliot scoffed “Tch. I’ll just get one of the cooks to do it. Seriously, you didn’t need to do it yourself.”

“I could have.”

“Says the one who can’t cook.”

“Nether can you.”

What a valid point. Nether of the two boys could cook, which was partially ironic since Leo was his servant. At the very least the noirette should have a little bit of culinary skill. Elliot never really expected it of him though, since he had been living in the House of Fianna prior to being taken into Nightray.

Leo slumped back against the chair, ready to nap. Though the heir noticed this and patted his cheek lightly.

“Come on, stay awake.” He insisted.

“Can I not help it if my body demands for a rest?”

Elliot thought for a moment, thinking of a way to keep Leo awake. There had to be something, and slapping him awake wasn’t going to help (not like he’d ever do that).

Then he thought of something.

“I got it! Stay here, I’ll be right back!”

Leo watched with half closed eyes as he walked away. He smiled to himself thinking,  _‘Better hope I’m not fast asleep when you get back~’_

The constant pitter patter of raindrops against the window was making him drowsy. If he could stare at them all day, he would. Leo felt sleep tugging at him again, and at the moment it didn’t matter where he was. But…no. He had to stay awake, lest Elliot would start complaining about it. He was such a troublesome master.

To the best of his ability, Leo managed to slightly wake himself up more, but it was like a match of tug-of-war. Elliot had been gone for about 5 minutes now. He had considered getting a book to read, but he didn’t necessarily want to, which surprised himself.

Sleep was threatening to drag him back under and break the walls of consciousness he had built up. Leo wanted to stay awake to see Elliot return.

And just as his eyes were about to close…

“I’m back, Leo.”

‘ _Oh.’_

And suddenly Elliot appeared before him.

“Elliot…” He says tiredly. Then the noirette detected that his master was holding something. He could smell it too; warm and a little bitter. Looking down Leo saw that Elliot was holding a mug filled with a dark liquid.

“Good to see you’re still awake. I brought you this.” He said to Leo, nudging the mug closer to his face.

Leo squinted slightly. “What is it?”

“Idiot, it’s coffee.”

“Eh?” Now where in the world had he obtained such a drink?

“My older brothers drink this stuff, and Vanessa on one occasion. Ernest once said it helps keep him awake.”

He stared at it a bit more, eyeing the beverage suspiciously. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. Now come on and drink up.”

“But this advice coming from your older siblings is, well….”

“Drink.”

“Fine, fine.”

Leo didn’t pause when he took the mug and raised it to his lips. For a second, he contemplated giving the Nightray an odd look, but disregards it and drinks the coffee.

‘ _Bleh! Strong…_ ’ He thinks as the liquid flows inside his mouth and down the back of his throat. The boy’s tongue nearly gets scorched by how warm it is. And the bitter aroma he smelled earlier has evolved into taste. Oh how he hates bitter things.

After gulping down a little of it, Leo hands the mug back to Elliot, a little poof of visible breath appearing as he exhales.

“Not too good for you, eh?” Elliot joked.

“I’m fine.” He said in reply to that ridiculous question.

“Tsk. You feel any different. Are you any more awake?”

“Hmm.” Leo pondered this for a moment. He had to admit, something felt strange within him; a little more awake. “Possibly.”

“Then you can have this.” The heir tried to hand the mug back to him, but he refused it, thinking he had enough of it and not wanting to taste the bitter flavor again.

“No. I think I am starting to wake up anyway, so just give me a minute.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Elliot set the coffee aside and took and book out from the bookcase. He sat down on the couch and opened up the book. The two just sat there in silence.

Meanwhile, Leo relaxed in the chair and made sure not to close his eyes. Whatever that Coffee was doing to him- allegedly helping him wake up and chase away remains of sleep- it was working. The rain outside didn’t even seem to be a problem anymore.

However… after 5 minutes or so, the caffeine in the coffee had spread across his entire system and some strange effects were setting in.

It started with his hands trembling and twitching as his arms rested on the armrests of the chair.

Elliot took notice of it first.

“Hey, you okay, Leo?” He asked, looking up from his book.

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine.” The noirette answered.

“Okay.”

He blinked a few times before he suddenly stood from the chair. Looking at Elliot with his hidden eyes, Leo walked over to his master and sat down next to him. Elliot didn’t really complain, but just went back to reading.

That was until…

“What are you reading, Elliot~?” Along with this question, he pokes Elliot’s cheek.

“Wha-? Hey don’t do that!” He lightly pushed Leo’s hand away. “Why did you do that?”

“I dunno.” He replied with a shrug.

Something wasn’t right here.

Sure, he was okay with being asked what he was reading, but being suddenly poked like that annoyed him. It just happened randomly out of the blue. Leo wouldn’t do such a thing without reason. There was a time once before where Leo had constantly poked him, but that had only been in an effort to wake him so he wouldn’t miss his classes.

The way Leo was looking at him too. He was smiling, not to say it was a bad thing since Elliot liked the noirette’s smile, but somehow it was like it was being overdone.

“You sure you’re okay? You’re acting funny.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about~”

He looked over Leo’s face, observing what features he could see. If he had a perfect view of his servant’s eyes, then he could most certainly tell what was going on with the other just by a simple glance

“You know, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Elliot closed the book, set it aside, and stood up. “Stay here; I’ll go get you something to eat.”

Before he ever knew it though, Leo stood quickly too and tugged on the Nightray’s arm. “I wanna go with you.”

Yanking himself free of Leo’s weak grasp, he saw that his arms were trembling. What was going on?

“Um, no. You should just stay put.”

Elliot guided him back over to the couch and made him sit down, but a second later Leo stood once more.

“No way~” He then jogged over to where the forlorn coffee sat. “I want this instead~”

“Leo, don’t-”

Too late. He took the mug and downed the rest of the coffee. At this point his mind was just a fuzzy blank, the caffeine flooding and rushing through his petite body.

“Heehee~~”

Now Elliot had an idea of what was going on, and his simple idea of trying to wake up his servant with some coffee had backfired. Looking at Leo right now with that goofy grin, he was like a kind all hyper on a sugar rush.

“Just calm down.” Elliot said to him, urging him to relax.

“Mmm… Nope~!”

Man was this annoying. He should have known that since Leo was so tiny, he’d react badly to coffee. All that could be done now was wait till all that extra energy faded and he burned out. How long would that take?

So for now he had to deal with a jittery, annoying Leo.

A light scoff came from the noirette suddenly, and he went up to Elliot, throwing his arms around him. “Elly~”

He nearly blushed. Their faces were so close. “S-s-stop it!!”

“Waaah~ Did you get me anything for today?”

He meant a Valentines day gift. “Er… no.”

Leo pouted. “Booo. Why not?”

“Now is not the time to talk about this.” Elliot managed to pry the servant off of him. “I’ve said it before; sit here and relax.”

“Play tag!”

And with that, Leo rushes past the heir, leaving him staring with a slightly open mouth. Seems like the coffee had increased his running ability.

He knew there was no choice but to go after him. “Get back here, Leo!!”

He chased Leo for a few minutes, and it was actually rather exhausting. For some reason, Leo was staying ahead of him with every step. Elliot ended up chasing him all across the manor as a result.

To think, on this day- Valentines day of all days- this had all started with Elliot trying to help out his sleepy friend. He should of just let Leo nap instead of convincing him to drink that coffee. If he had only offered up tea! Tea could have worked just as easy, and without the after-effects that were causing Leo to act like this.

‘ _Absurd!’_ That was the single word that echoed in Elliot’s head. _‘When I catch him, I’m gonna give him what for!’_

And back and forth they went through the manor.

Finally, He had chased Leo into the library. Perhaps he could corner the noirette here.

“Come on, Leo.” He called out. “Give up this stupid game!”

“Fufu~”

Elliot saw Leo dash past a rack of books and down one row. He followed.

He was getting closer and closer to matching the other’s pace, and as they reached the end of the row, Leo found himself stuck in a corner.

“Oops.” He muttered aloud.

Elliot had already approached though. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. Now there’s nowhere left to run.”

“Whoa~ Looks like you caught me, Elly~”

This was still going nowhere. Leo wouldn’t stay still and was still smiling like an idiot. He had to find some way to bring him down from this madness. He thought of one thing, but he didn’t like it.

With regret, the heir took a nearby book from its shelf.

Leo leaned forward. “Oho~ What do you plan to do with-“

His sentence was cut off as Elliot threw that book at him. It hit him square in the head, sending a painful vibration across his skull.

But Leo was out before he hit the ground, or more specifically before Elliot caught him.

* * *

Elliot had been reading for almost an hour.

He still felt bad that he used a book to knock Leo out, but at least now he would hopefully be back to his normal self soon. He was resting last time Elliot saw him. If the servant asked, he would say what he did and then apologize.

He turned another page and then heard the sound of a door opening .

Elliot looked up to see Leo staggering in, holding a hand to his head.

“Hey.” He simply greeted the noirette.

Leo nodded in response and started to walk towards him. Elliot took notice of it and got up, going over and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Oh, nothing but this awful headache.” Came the reply, slightly agitated.

“Bet it’s the coffee.” He said with a shrug. “You were acting weird because of it.”

“I think I remember that, so mental note; never drink coffee again.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“I do know that you threw a book at me.”

Elliot froze. So he did remember that after all, despite the state he’d been in. “Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry about that okay?”

Leo chuckled. “It’s fine. I am sorry for annoying you so much.” He then moved past his master and went to sit on the couch. “There’s so much caffeine in that stuff. Makes me wonder how your siblings can drink that.”

“Don’t apologize. None of that was really your fault.” For a moment, Elliot looked off to the side, as if he remembered something. “To make up for it, I’m giving you the chocolates that I was going to give you anyway. Today is Valentines day.”

The noirette tilted his aching head to one side before laughing. “That’s so cheesy~”

“Why you-”

“However,” He smiled. “I did something for you too. Think of it as my apology also.” With one hand, he gestured to a book lying over on a desk. “You see that book?”

“Yeah?”

“Open it.”

Playing along with whatever scheme this was, Elliot went over to where the book was and opened it.

Inside the cover was a pressed Statice flower and a note saying, ‘To Elliot. From Leo’

“You… You didn’t have to.” He said, astonished and looking back to his friend.

“But I wanted to. So I guess we are even in our cheesy gifts.”

Elliot closed the book and went to sit next to Leo on the couch, putting an arm around the servant. “Thanks.”

“It was no trouble, really.”

Later on, there was another surprise.

In the evening hours, when Elliot returned to his room, he was just ready to go to bed. Leo was fast asleep in his own room already, but when he saw what had been left on the nightstand near his bed, he went back to Leo.

There was a whole vase of Statice flowers left on the nightstand.

He quietly entered the servant’s room and snuck over to his bed. Looking down, Leo seemed to be at peace, not worried about a care in the world.

It was times like this when Elliot considered himself lucky to have a person this faithful in his life, ready to go to his master’s side if a nightmare occurred. The noirette was the one who always comforted him then, and whispered that everything would be okay. Even out of the night and out of the darkness, Leo was still as faithful as ever, each one of his qualities great.

Leo was irreplaceable .

With a smile, Elliot leaned forward and lightly kissed the sleeping boy’s cheek.

“Thanks, Leo.”


End file.
